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Iraqi murders put gay, emo youth on edge

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At least 14 people have been killed in three weeks, a senior official tells CNN

Rights activists claim the number is much higher

The murders appear to target people perceievd as gay or emo

The government has described the emo phenomenon as Satanic and said it would eliminate it

A recent rash of killings of people perceived to be gay or emo in Iraq has stoked fear within those communities, which worry the government might be unwilling or unable to protect them.

At least 14 such victims were killed in Baghdad in the past three weeks, according to a senior Interior Ministry official, who was not authorized to talk to the media.

Rights activists claim the number is actually much higher, with some suggesting dozens or more than 100 have been killed since February.

The killings appear to target people perceived to be gay, or emo -- shorthand in Iraq for an in-your-face style of Western dress that favors tight clothes, long hair and the color black.

Most of the killings have taken place in Shiite neighborhoods like Sadr City, Shulaa, Ameen and Tariq, activists said.

"Ten days ago, I received a letter from militiamen threatening me that if they found me then they will not kill me like other 'perverts,' but they will cut my body into pieces," a gay activist told CNN on Sunday.